5K and update on OLW

I'm not sure exactly what week we are at now, but I'm still continuing to try to lose weight.  Last weekend, I completed the Couch to 5K program again and I ran another 5K.

First of all, it was an awesome day for a run.  About 65 degrees and overcast.  My goal was to beat my first (and best) 5K time of 33:30 when I ran the Turkey Trot 3 years ago.  I trained and ran with a friend from work who had never run more than 5 minutes stretches.  We finished the first mile around 9 minutes and I knew we were going much faster than usual (we are usually around an 11 minute mile).  But we kept up pace and ended up finishing around 32:30.  (I also want to add that my Garmin said that we ran 3.4 miles so it was a true 5K, I think we would have finished around 30 minutes.)  Either way, this was a HUGE improvement for me...especially post-baby. 

To date, I have lost 10 pounds and I'm back to my pre-Ethan weight.  Now, I want to lose 10 more pounds to get me back to a healthier weight for my body.  I want to continue running but I know the St. Louis summer heat can be killer.  Thank goodness for the treadmill!  I also want to get back to 30 Day Shred to try to firm up the arms and legs. 

I'm feeling much better in my own skin.  Nothing feels worse than not fitting in your own clothes.  It took me a year, but I'm finally feeling like myself again.

And of course...I'm starting to feel baby fever again.

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We did it!

We finished our first 5K in 33 minutes and 33 seconds!!! (EDIT TO ADD: I just checked Fleet Feet's official time and we both finished together at 33:30. That is a 10:48 mile!!!! AHHHH!!) I can't believe that we beat our goal by 6 minutes and 30 seconds. YAYAYYYYY!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Hope you have a great time with family and friends.

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Done and Done (Weeks 8 and 9)

I can't believe that we have completely finished 9 week of the Couch to 5K program! I am proud to say that we have successfully completed the program and we will run our first 5K on Thursday! We ran 27.5 minutes during Week 8 and 30 minutes during Week 9. Unfortunately, we still haven't run 3.1 miles. We have only gotten up to 2.7 miles in 30 minutes. My goal is to finish the race in 40 minutes so I hope we can do that! I am nervous because I hear most of the Turkey Trot is uphill and we have only trained on flat roads. I am hoping that the adrenaline rush from the actual race will make it easier. I am REALLY excited!I have said this many times but I am just amazing at how this program works. It seems like just yesterday that I was struggling with Week 1 and 2, almost unable to run 2 minutes at a time. I am so proud of how far I have come. We haven't even finished our first 5k but I am already thinking about what is next. We want to run the St. Patty's Day run and the Komen Race for the Cure. We might even start thinking about running a 10k in 2010! I guess I need to keep my eyes on the short term goal...FINISH THIS TURKEY TROT!!! Woo hoo!!!

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Done with Week 6

I am starting to feel like running is like a pregnancy for my blog. A lot of girls post each week about the progress of their pregnancy. Nope, not me...I share my progress with running. I hope it isn't getting to0 boring. It really is all I blog about nowadays!

This week, I got the sweetest and most encouraging email from Teresa. As a fellow couch potato-turned-runner (is that fair to say, Teresa?), she understands exactly what I am feeling going through this journey. She started with the Couch to 5K programs and has already done a half marathon. I am sure a full will be somewhere in her future. (Who knows if I will ever get to that point?!) I know that it sounds cheesy but running is really starting to change my life. It sucks...but it is also so good. I crave it. I think about it constantly. And I hate it. But I LOVE finishing.

Today, we finished our longest run yet...25 minutes. Definitely over 2 miles! I have NEVER run for that length of time in my entire life. It made me feel good to know that Mike hadn't ever run that long either! I thought I was going to give up after 8 minutes, but Mike wouldn't let me. When I hit the halfway point, there was nothing stopping me. I NEEDED to finish. It was hard. Very hard. I am tired, and sore, and my throat hurts :( But I did it!

Week 7 consists of running 25 minutes, 3 times this week. I like the idea of feeling stronger and more comfortable with this length. I am going to get a Garmin from Karen tomorrow so hopefully I can figure out my pace and how far I am actually running.

As always, thanks for your continued support. It probably sounds dumb, but you all keep me going when I want to stop. I mean seriously, how could I blog and tell everyone that I quit in the middle of a run. That would be totally disappointing and embarrassing. Thanks for your encouragement!

Happy Halloween!

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Bye to Week 5...

...and hello to Week 6. Each week of this program, I am more and more shocked that I can do it. I love reading over my running posts to see how hard each week was at that time. I had been dreading that 20 minute run for weeks and last Friday morning, we did it! I'm not going to lie...it was hard. I was sore afterwards too :( BUT...I DID IT! I also realized something about running. I don't really like the running part but I LOVE the finishing part. The feeling of accomplishment is so great and it really keeps you looking forward to the next run so you can feel that "runners high" again. Now that the 20 minute run is behind us, I really feel (for the first time), that I am going to be able to do this!We will run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday again but the schedule above is totally do-able. Looking forward to another successful week of running!

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Week 4.5

We decided that we want to stretch Week 5 out for another week. We actually had 11 weeks to do this 9 week program so we knew that we would be able to spend a little time toward the end. We had great runs on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday's run was a jog 5 minutes, then walk 3 minutes. We did that 3 times. Thursday's run was to jog 8 minutes and walk 5. We did the 8 minute walk twice. Talk about accomplishment! I never thought that I would be able to run for 8 minutes (and twice!) if you asked me 5 weeks ago. We were supposed to run 20 minutes sometime this weekend. BUT, we went out of town to visit my brother in Peoria and had a super busy day today. We are going to repeat the 8 minute runs this week and do the 20 minute run on Friday. I hope I can do it!!! Boring post, huh?!

But, we did have an awesome weekend! Wait till you see the pictures Mike took of our friends today. AMAZING!!!

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Week 4...Done!

Week 5, here we come! Tomorrow, we will start week 5 and I think this is going to be the week to get me. 20 minute run with no breaks this week. YIKES!

Week 4 went pretty well. After our 5 minute warm up walk, we ran for 3 minutes, walked for 90 seconds. Then ran for 5 minutes and walked for 2.5 minutes. THEN, we had to do it all again. Each day, I felt such a huge feeling of accomplishment. We jogged a total of 16 minutes!!! I feel like such a wimp when I read other people's blogs on running, but this was HUGE for me folks.

We bought new shoes last week from Fleet Feet! (By the way, I love that place!) I bought the Glycerin shoes from Brooks. They are so light and I feel like I am wearing slippers. I really love them. Mike got a pair of Asics and he also likes his pair (although he thinks they are ugly). Hey, looks don't matter if they are feeling good!I also bought a lot of running clothes for this cold/rainy weather. Kristal and Mary had some good advice for me---"Cotton is rotten". Thanks girls! I have to go to class so I will post more on my running purchases later!

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Week 3 and I'm alive!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Week 3 has been SO much easier than Week 2! Thanks to all of your comments, suggestions, and less of the jog then walk intervals, I have really enjoyed this week. Running for 3 minutes seemed impossible a couple of weeks ago and here I am! Of course, looking forward to the next week scares me but I don't need to think about that until next Tuesday. We have one more run on Sunday for Week 3 and then time to move on!On Saturday, Mike and I will be heading to Fleet Feet for some new shoes. I have no clue what we are looking for but I am sure that experts there can put us in some good shoes (although my legs have not hurt at all this week). After this weekend, we will be 1/3 done with this training! YAHOO!Oh...also, while we are on the subject of running, I have a couple more questions. It is starting to get colder in the mornings. This morning it was in the upper 40s/low 50s. Are there special gloves, hats, jackets, etc. to wear? I don't really want to drop too much money at the running store if I can just get the normal stuff at Target. Thanks!!!

I am looking forward to this weekend. I am dropping off calligraphy to a client, enjoying dinner with friends, going with Mike to photograph some adorable kiddos at Faust Park, getting running shoes, going to a housewarming party, and relaxing on Sunday by getting work done for my Masters classes. Can't wait!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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C25K...Week 2

Week 2 is completed. Unfortunately, not as easily as week 1. This week, we only had to do 6 intervals of jogging for 90 seconds and walking for 2 minutes. Easy Peasy on day 1. Day 2, I started getting pains in my legs. Today, the pain started the second I started jogging and continued the entire time.

I have figured out what is wrong. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO RUN. My "form" is terrible. I am not running heal to toe and instead, I am just clomping away. I am sure I sound like a herd of elephants. Because I am hitting the pavement so hard, it is causing pain in my lower calf down to my ankles. Shinsplints have also started to kick in. Oh, the joys of running.I don't know what to do. Quitting is not an option (although I know that weeks 3-9 are going to KILL me). I guess I am going to go to a running store and see if they have some advice for me. I probably need some better running shoes too. I hate being discouraged so early in the training but I am in pain and it is hard not to focus on it while I am running.

Week 3, Day 1 is on Tuesday. I am scared. Very scared.

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C25K...Week 1

Week 1 is completed and honestly, it wasn't that bad. We ran at 5:30 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Because I kept moving all day, I never felt sore. I am not a runner, I don't like running, and I'm not very good at running. BUT...I am starting to think that this program might be successful for me. Running intervals at a slow pace is a great idea. I am trying not to think about the coming weeks. I am still freaking out about the fact that I might actually be able to run for over 30 minutes (without stopping)! Everyone says that it is all mental and that is what scares me. I am ridiculously insecure about this whole running thing and I really can't picture myself doing it. Hopefully, after a couple more weeks of this program, I will feel more confident in my running skills. Thanks for all of your kind words! This is going to be an interesting journey for me.

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